Five Families War
The Five Families War was a major conflict that initially led to the decline of the Corleone family, but eventually saw the fall of the Barzini, Tattaglia, Cuneo and Stracci families. Prelude The war began after the murder of Virgil Sollozzo and police officer Mark McCluskey by Michael Corleone. Sollozzo had previously arranged a hit on Michael's father Vito Corleone, which had not succeeded, but left the Corleone family hungry for revenge. After the murder of Sollozzo and McCluskey, the Police Department in New York City sent out the word that there would be no more gambling, prostitution and deals of any kind until the murderer of Captain McCluskey was caught. Massive raids began all over the city. All unlawful business activities came to a standstill. An emissary from the other families asked the Corleone family if they were prepared to give up the murderer, but they were told that the affair did not concern them. Events The war between the Corleone family and the other families combined against them proved to be expensive for both sides. It was complicated by the police pressure put on everybody to solve the murder of Captain McCluskey. As soon as the war started the families went straight to the matresses, hiding out in various venues. Immediately, the Corleone family began to experience difficulties, not only because they were outnumbered, but because the enemies assets were not out in the open as due to using shylocks and bookmakers, rather, it was hidden in the docks and behind numerous fronts. A bomb exploded in the Corleone family mall in Long Beach, thrown from a car that pulled up to the chain. Two button men of the Corleone family were also killed as they peaceably ate their dinner in a small Italian restaurant in Greenwich Village. The Corleone group depended on gambling for most of its income, and was hit especially hard in its numbers and policy branch of operations. The runners who picked up the action were swept into police nets and usually given a medium shellacking before being booked. Even some of the banks were located and raided, with heavy financial loss. The bankers complained to the caporegimes, who brought their complaints to the family council table. But there was nothing to be done. The bankers were told to go out of business. Local Negro free-lancers were allowed to take over the operation in Harlem, the richest territory, and they operated in such scattered fashion that the police found it hard to pin them down. After the death of Captain McCluskey, some newspapers printed stories involving him with Sollozzo. They published proof that McCluskey had received large sums of money in cash, shortly before his death. These stories had been planted by Tom Hagen, the information supplied by him. The Police Department refused to confirm or deny these stories, but they were taking effect. The police force got the word through informers, through police on the family payroll, that McCluskey had been a rogue cop. When it became known that McCluskey had been killed while in the company of a notorious narcotics peddler and that he was suspected of conspiracy to murder, the police desire for vengeance faded and some semblance of social order was restored. The rival families struck in an unexpected direction. Two powerful officials in the garment unions were killed, officials who were members of the Corleone family. Then the Corleone family shylocks were barred from the waterfront piers as were the Corleone family bookmakers. The longshoremen's union locals had gone over to the rival families. Corleone bookmakers all over the city were threatened to persuade them to change their allegiance. The biggest numbers banker in Harlem, an old friend and ally of the Corleone family, was brutally murdered. There was no longer any option and Santino Corleone told his caporegimes to go to the mattresses. The Corleone family set up two apartments in the city for their button men. Peter Clemenza staffed one apartment and Salvatore Tessio the other. All family bookmakers were given bodyguard teams. The policy bankers in Harlem, however, had gone over to the enemy and at the moment nothing could be done about that. All this cost the Corleone family a great deal of money and very little was coming in. Santino Corleone had planned the execution of the heads of the rival families in one grand tactical maneuver. To that purpose he put into effect an elaborate system of surveillance of these leaders. But soon after, the enemy chiefs promptly dived underground and were seen no more in public. The rival families and the Corleone empire were in stalemate. In the spring and summer of 1946, Santino Corleone mounted senseless raids on enemy auxiliaries. Tattaglia family pimps were shot to death in Harlem, dock goons were massacred. Union officials who owed allegiance to the Five Families were warned to stay neutral, and when the Corleone bookmakers and shylocks were still barred from the docks, Sonny Corleone sent Clemenza and his regime to wreak havoc upon the long shore. The situation degenerated into a deadly guerrilla war that both sides found themselves losing a great deal of revenue and lives to no purpose. The Corleone family was finally forced to close down some of its most profitable bookmaking stations, including the book given to son-in-law Carlo Rizzi for his living, which forced him into conspiring against Santino Corleone. In the late summer of 1946, Santino Corleone was lured into a trap and was killed at the Jones Beach Causeway by Barzini family hitmen. The hit was engineered by Emilio Barzini due to Carlo Rizzi's treachery. The death of Santino Corleone sent shock waves through the underworld of the nation. And when it became known that Vito Corleone had risen from his sick bed to take charge of the family affairs, the heads of the rival families made frantic efforts to prepare a defense against the bloody retaliatory war that was thought to follow. But to their suprise the recovering Don Vito called a hasty peace at a sitdown, and the war was seen to be over. Aftermath However, the Barzini family continued to chip away at the Corleone's territory, much to the chagrin of Corleone caporegime Salvatore Tessio, who was forbidden to act, and instead made a deal with Barzini to undercut Michael Corleone, who had become the new Don. However, Tessio's plot failed, and he was executed, as were the heads of the rival families in a decisive move that wiped out all opposition to Michael's rule. The victory of the Corleone family was complete. During that same period Clemenza and Rocco Lampone turned loose their regimes and punished the infiltrators of the Corleone domains. Al Neri was sent to take command of the Tessio regime. Barzini bookmakers were put out of business and two of the highest-ranking Barzini enforcers were shot to death in an Italian restaurant on Mulberry Street. A notorious fixer of trotting races was also killed as he returned home from a winning night at the track. Two of the biggest shylocks on the waterfront disappeared, to be found months later in the New Jersey swamps. With this one savage attack, Michael Corleone made his reputation and restored the Corleone family to its primary place in the New York families. He was respected not only for his tactical brilliance but because some of the most important caporegimes in both the Barzini and Tattaglia families immediately went over to his side. However, the bloody victory of the Corleone family was not complete until a year of delicate political maneuvering established Michael Corleone as the most powerful mafia boss in the United States. In the video game In the video game, Sonny Corleone orders to attack a major distribution racket run by Artie Manzanero and the Cuneo family, yet secretly backed by the Barzinis in Midtown. At this time, many of the rival families hubs and warehouses are taken, such as the Stracci Rail Hub. Gallery Vlcsnap-2010-12-30-19h57m21s1.png Vlcsnap-2011-01-19-16h32m29s167.png Vlcsnap-2010-12-30-20h00m58s118.png Vlcsnap-2010-12-21-20h06m38s251.png Vlcsnap-2010-12-21-20h09m52s174.png Vlcsnap-2010-11-09-21h34m35s220.png Category: Events